Monday, April 25, 2016

From Jesse Andrews, author of the New York Times bestselling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and screenwriter of the Sundance award-winning motion picture of the same name, comes a groundbreaking young adult novel about music, love, friendship, and freedom as three young musicians follow quest to escape the law long enough to play the amazing show they hope (but also doubt) they have in them.Inspired by the years he spent playing bass in a band himself, The Haters is Jesse Andrews's road trip adventure about a trio of jazz-camp escapees who, against every realistic expectation, become a band.For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It's pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It's three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they're in Ash's SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.In his second novel, Andrews again brings his brilliant and distinctive voice to YA, in the perfect book for music lovers, fans of The Commitments and High Fidelity, or anyone who has ever loved-and hated-a song or a band. This witty, funny coming-of-age novel is contemporary fiction at its best.

**Thank you so much to Amulet Books for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**

I have always been the biggest fan of music, so as soon as I heard about The Haters, I knew it was going to be something that I loved. In addition, it was written by none other than the amazing Jesse Andrews, who wrote Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which I read and loved a few years ago.

The Haters follows Wes and Corey who are two best friends. They're attending a jazz camp and they have to try out for which band they get in. Of course, they get put into a band where all the lowly music players go. They end up meeting a guitarist in their band named Ash, which is short for Ashley. The three of them end up jamming out together and find that they sound really good together. Therefore Ash comes up with the brilliant idea one night for all of them to leave camp and head down south to start a band and play at random places.

I honestly have to say that The Haters had just as much humor as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I was always laughing which made me want to keep reading. There were also parts where the format changed a bit, like conversations looked like a screenplay which I really liked! However, be warned that some of the humor is a little mature!

I really loved all the characters. Wes was super awesome, as were Corey and Ash. The three of them just meshed really well together, which was cool. They were all very headstrong and I appreciated their really strong love for music.

I can't wait to read more by Jesse Andrews in the future. Until then, I'll be recommending this one to many people!

Sunday, April 24, 2016

It starts with a cry in the night.
Becket, walking her dog one winter evening, fears it's an abandoned baby left out in the cold. But it is something else-something evil-and it tricks Becket into opening a doorway to another realm, letting a darkness into our world, a corruption that begins transforming Philadelphia into a sinister and menacing version of itself...but only at night.
The changes are subtle at first, causing Becket to doubt her sense and her sanity. But soon the nightmarish truth is impossible to deny: By day, the city is just a city, but at night it literally comes alive with malevolent purpose. Brick and steel become bone, streetlights turn into gallows, and hungry alleys wait to stare mortal victims. Terrified citizens huddle indoors after dusk, as others succumb to the siren song of the night, letting their darker sides run wild.
Once, Becket's biggest problems were living up to her police commissioner father's high expectations and a secret crush on her best friend's boyfriend. Now she must find a way to survive and protect her loved ones... before the darkness takes her as well.

**I received this book in exchange for an honest review!**

As soon as I heard about Nightstruck, I knew that I was going to want to give it a read. I had read some of Jenna's books in the past and absolutely loved them, so I immediately new that this new book would be no exception. Boy was I right!

Nightstruck begins with a girl named Becket walking her dog. However, she hears a baby crying and goes to investigate. She ends up calling the police and realizing that nobody would believe what she was seeing, so she ended up hanging up only to get grounded by her father who is the police commissioner. However, as the days go on, more and more creepy things start happening at night in Philadelphia.

I loved this book so much! Becket was a really awesome character. I loved how caring she was and I really liked how much she grew throughout the novel as well. However, I think that my favorite character was definitely Luke. He was incredibly sweet and was also the boyfriend of Becket's best friend, Piper. I honestly don't know how he put up with a lot of the crap that Piper did, but he was still an awesome guy. Piper got on my nerves a bit, but I got over it. I also really liked Aleric at first. He was a mysterious guy that Becket ran into one day. He ends up playing a much bigger part in the story later on!

This book was both creepy and haunting. I really liked the whole idea of the nightstruck that Jenna came up with. If that happened in my town, I'd be freaking out so much! Plus, nighttime is my favorite time and I think if my town turned nightstruck it wouldn't be my favorite time anymore. Nightstruck is such a wonderful read; just remember not to read it at night or it will send shivers down your spine! I'll definitely be checking out more of Jenna's books in the future!

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster! This is one of my most anticipated reads for 2016 so I'm so pumped that I got this one! I'll probably move it up on my TBR pile so hopefully I get to read it soon. :)

Purchased:

There was a big book sale in a town near mine so of course I went! I ended up leaving with 6 books for $9.

Doomed by Tracy Deebs

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (This is my favorite classic; when I saw it only for $1, I couldn't pass it up!)

Thursday, April 21, 2016

His obsession.
Her fall.
Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.
But love has a way of changing things.
Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team's starting goaltender, Alec. He's cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn't judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities-he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can't control, something she doesn't want to control.
Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, overwhelming, and... terrifying?
But love shouldn't make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn't make you feel guilty-or worse, ashamed.
So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it's time to take back control of her life.
If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

**Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!**

The Girl Who Fell follows a girl named Zephyr who is an amazing field hockey player, which is what originally piqued my interest in this story. I've played field hockey for 6 years and absolutely loved it, so I already had something in common with Zephyr.

One day at school, a new boy named Alec shows up. He ends up talking with Zephyr because he is a friend of Zephyr's friend. Before you know it, the two of them are falling for each other. Alec is the absolute perfect boyfriend; he's always there for Zephyr and cares about her so much. However, before long, the relationship completely takes a turn for the worse.

I think one thing I really liked about this book is that from the outside, it looks like a pretty little contemporary. If you don't read the synopsis, you are going to be completely surprised by what happens and the relationship completely changing and I think that's the beauty of this lovely book. However, even though I read the synopsis and knew what was coming, I still didn't want to believe it. I loved Alec probably as much as Zephyr did. He was so cute and cuddly and was honestly just the perfect boyfriend. Who wouldn't want that? I can definitely see how people get stuck in unhealthy relationships so easily now.

I honestly loved this book. Shannon M. Parker wrote a book about a very touchy topic in a wonderful way and I know that I will be recommending this book endlessly.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Five years.That's how long I've been gone. Since I left my best friend-the girl I loved-behind.Five seconds.That's how long it takes to realize I am completely, utterly, screwed. Because now that I'm back, my childhood crush has turned into so much more.Rylee has changed. We both have. And now I'm drawn to her in a completely different way. To her smile. Her touch. To reliving old memories and making new ones. To the happiness she's always given me that I haven't felt since I left.But her friends are hell-bent on keeping us apart. My dad is one drink away from destroying both of our lives, and maybe I am, too. It's only a matter of time before I have to leave again, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I never get a choice.The one choice I can make? Stay away from Rylee. Because if I don't, I'll break her heart-and mine-all over again.Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen book contains references to drinking, addiction, and just the right amount of angst. You'll want to save this tortured hero, while at the same time, not wanting to change a single thing about him!

**Thank you so much to Entangled for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**

Before I start this review, I just want to tell you that this book is perfect for getting into the summer mood!

Pieces of You and Me follows both Chase and Rylee in alternating perspectives. Chase moved away 5 years ago and is finally back. He and Rylee used to be really good friends, though he had to leave because his parents were fighting a lot. Rylee was upset because Chase basically cut off all means of communication with her, but now that he's back, she wonders if things could go back to normal between them even though so much has changed.

I really loved Chase. I really felt for him and his situation. It would have to suck leaving everything you knew at such a young age and then continue leaving other places everywhere you went. It would be really hard to make friends and keep them as well. I think what he felt for Rylee was the cutest and it just sucks because all he wanted was to never hurt her again.

Rylee was really great too. She was very fun and I liked how she felt for Chase, of course. The two of them together was honestly the cutest and I loved learning more about their old relationship. I also liked Rylee's friends as well and I thought it was funny that Mya found Chase really attractive only to realize that her best friend actually knew him already.

I honestly can't wait to read more by Erin Fletcher after finishing this book. I read it in an entire sitting and now it's really got me in the contemporary and summer mood! If you have the chance, I highly suggest you check it out!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

It's all fun and parties until someone falls in love in this modern fairy tale from author Kate Evangelista. Caleb desperately needs a fake girlfriend. Either he attends a series of parties for his father's law firm with a pretty girl on his arm, or he gets shipped off to Yale to start a future he's not ready for and isn't sure he wants. And sadly, the last unattached girl in his social circle has just made the grievous mistake of falling in love with him. Fortunately, didi, recently fired waitress and aspiring painter, is open to new experiences. As the summer ticks by in a whirl of lavish parties, there's only one rule: They must not fall in love!

I'm a big sucker for cute contemporaries, so No Love Allowed was absolutely no exception. The story was extremely fun and would honestly make the best summer read!

As soon as I started reading, I knew that I was going to like Caleb. He was a great guy and I honestly think that his reason for getting a fake girlfriend made sense. I also felt so horrible for him because his ex was one of his father's clients and when Caleb broke up with her she told her father which caused Caleb's father to almost lose a very pertinent client. Leaving someone's company just because of a relationship doesn't make that much sense to me, so I felt so bad for poor Caleb!

I really liked Didi too. She was very headstrong and knew when to set people straight, which were very admirable qualities. There was, of course, a bit of a mystery behind Didi as well because she's taking pills though at first the reader doesn't know what the pills are for.

I really liked the relationship between Caleb and Didi as well. The two of them just really hit it off from the beginning and I loved how Caleb actually went after Didi in the beginning before Didi ever thought about going after him. There was also, of course, the separation in class systems between the two characters because Caleb was absolutely rich, which makes this story more of a classic retelling.

Obviously I adored this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun read to get excited for summer!

About the Author:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is a graduate of De La Salle University – Manila with an Bachelor of Arts in Literature. She taught high school English for three years and was an essay consultant for two. Currently she writes full time and is based in the Philippines. To learn more about Kate, please visit her website at www.kateevangelista.com or follow her on Twitter @KateEvangelista

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.There are ghosts around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about it after what happened there last summer. Memories of things so dark will burn themselves into your mind if you let them.Callie never left. She moved to another house, so she doesn't have to walk those same halls, but then Callie always was the stronger one. She can handle staring into the faces of her demons-and if she parties hard enough, maybe one day they'll disappear for good.Tessa and Callie have never talked about what they saw that night. After the trial, Callie drifted and Tessa moved, and childhood friends just have a way of losing touch.But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette-to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie's dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.Only the closer Tessa gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer-and this time, it won't be so easy to run away.

**Thanks so much to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you may know that I usually don't get along with mystery novels that well. At about 50% through most mysteries, I tend to figure out what's going to happen and that completely ruins the experience for me. That was definitely not the case with The Darkest Corners!

This was a psychological thriller, so I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. I just wanted to know who was behind the murders because the last culprit was already in prison! I was flipping my pages so fast, and I think that you will too! There were many plot points in my opinion, but they all connected in such a way that it made a lot of sense.

I'm usually a big fan of romance in books, but I really liked that this one didn't have romance. I honestly think it's worth noting, because having a YA book without romance is hard to come by nowadays! Overall, I think having no romance definitely added to the story.

The ending of this story left me with many questions, but honestly I think that's what a psychological thriller is supposed to do. The reader isn't supposed to be left perfectly satisfied... it's called a psychological thriller for a reason! I will definitely be checking out Kara Thomas's future novels and will be recommending this one to all mystery/psychological thriller fans who are looking for an eerie and mysterious tale!

About the author (taken from Goodreads):

Kara is the author of THE DARKEST CORNERS, coming April 2016 from Random House/Delacorte. She is also the author of the Prep School Confidential series from St. Martin's Griffin under the pen name Kara Taylor. Kara has written for Warner Brothers Television and currently writes full-time on Long Island, where she lives with her husband and rescue cat.